Indicator for locks.



F. E. SMITH. INDICATOR FOR LOCKS. APPLIOATION FILED DBO. 5, 1901.

Patented Jan. 12. 1909.

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TE STATES PATENT OFFTCE.

FREDERICK E. SMITH, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE YALE-ANDTOWNE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT.

INDICATOR FOR LOCKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

Application filed December 5, 1907. Serial No. 05,237.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK E. SMITH, of Brooklyn, in the county ofKings and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Indicators for Locks; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in indicators for looks, theobject being to provide means for indicating at the outside, whether thedoor is locked from the inside.

WVith this object in view my invention consists in the parts andcombination of parts as will be more fully explained and pointed out inthe claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in elevation partly insection of a section of a door showing my improvement applied thereto.Figs. 2 and 3 are views of the housing detached. Fig. l is a detachedView of the plunger and Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 1 of amodification.

The key holes of locks used on the doors of guests rooms at hotels, areusually out of line with each other, the key hole on the inside, beingabove the key hole on the outside, and my improvement is designed foruse on a lock so constructed.

1 represents a door, 2 the lock, and 3 the inside key hole.

4 is the outside escutcheon plate, provided with the inwardly projectinghousing 5, which latter rests within a recess formed in the outer faceof the door. This housing, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, may be securedto the inner face of the escutcheon,-by placing the perforated ears 6thereof over the stumps 7 integral with the escutcheon plates; andupsetting the stumps, and may be provided with an integral inner end 8,perforated for the passage of the plunger, or it may be spun directlyinto the escutcheon plate, as shown in Fig. 5, and instead of having anintegral end 8 as in Figs. 1 and 3, it may be provided with a separateend 8 secured in place as shown in Fig. 5.

Mounted within the housing, is the plunger 9, provided at its inner endwith a stem 10 projecting through the inner end 801' 8 of the housing,and through a hole in the lock in line with the inner key hole. Thisplunger normally rests with its outer end flush with the outer face ofthe escutcheon, and is provided at its rear end with a flange 11 againstwhich the spring 12 bears, the opposite end of the spring restingagainst the sinner face of the escutcheon plate. This spring yieldinglyholds the plunger in, flush with the outer face of the escutcheon plate,and when in such position, the stem 10 thereof is in the path ofmovement of a key entered into the key hole 3 from the inner side of thedoor, and when the key is inserted into the lock from the inside, itforces out the plunger and indicates to those on the outside, that thedoor is locked, or that the room is occupied. If the corridors orhallway be dark, the condition of the lock may be ascertained by runningthe hand over the escutcheon plate, the position of the plungerindicating whether the guests key is in the lock, and thus avoiding thenoise occasioned by the attempts to get in when the door is locked fromthe inside.

The stem of the plunger 9 is, preferably provided, as shown in Fig. 4,with a series of parallel annular weakening grooves 12, which aredesigned to materially assist the carpenten in cutting or adjusting thestem to conform to the thickness of the door.

It is evident that many slight changes might be resorted to in therelative arrangement of the parts shown and described without departingfrom the spirit and scope of my invention hence I would have itunderstood that I do not wish to confine myself to the exactconstruction herein shown and described, but

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters-Patent, is

1. In an indicator for looks, the combination with a lock, of a movableplunger normally in the path of the key and adapted to be pushedoutwardly by the insertion of the ke In an indicator for looks, thecombina tion with a lock and an outer escutcheon plate, of a movableplunger mounted in the escutcheon plate and projecting into the path ofthe key of the lock, whereby when the key is inserted in the lock theplunger will be forced outwardly.

3. In an indicator for locks, the combination with a lock and anescutcheon plate, of a housing secured to the escutcheon plate in theplane of the key hole in the lock and a tion with a lock, of a movableplunger mounted on the outside of the door and plunger mounted in'saidhousing and adapted to be forced outwardly by a key inserted in said keyhole. adapted to be pressed outwardly by the in- 4. In an indicator forlocks, the combinasertion of a key in the key hole of the look; 5 tionwith a lock and an escutcheon plate, of In testimony whereof, I havesigned this a plunger carried by the escutcheon plate in the plane ofthe key hole in the lock, and adapted to be forced outwardly by a keyinserted in said key hole, and a spring nor- 0 mally holding saidplunger inwardly.

5. In an indicator for locks the combinaing Witnesses. V V I FREDERICKE. SMITH.

Witnesses:

LEMUEL J. OSTRANDER, CHAS. A. HETZEL,

specification in the presence of two subserib,

